From the Shadows
by Vivien Lestrange
Summary: Rodolphus has always had trouble fulfilling his family's expectations but not even he thought he might end up in Hufflepuff of all houses. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer.** I don't own Harry Potter or anything related to the books. No money is being made with this story.

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**Chapter 1 Wandless  
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Most pure-blood children eagerly awaited the day they went to buy their first wand. The Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery had been a source of resentment among pure-bloods ever since it had been issued back in 1875. Even though it had never been said explicitly, none of them doubted that the law only existed to deny the pure-blood children superior magical skills, a simple form of levelling down.

Rodolphus Lestrange however was not "most pure-blood children." He didn't question the common perception about the reasons for the restrictions on childhood magic use but unlike his peers, he doubted a wand would do him much good. Through all the years he had spent in his mother's house, his magic hadn't shown itself except for a few dubious situations where people who had annoyed him experienced sudden pain. No one really wanted to believe that this was his doing though.

Rodolphus had almost resigned himself to the fate of a Squib, rejected by the world he had grown up in and alone in one he had never set foot in, never had been looked at with anything but disdain. The name Rodolphus Lestrange would have been wiped off the family tree as if he had never existed. While families such as the Blacks kept the burn marks as a reminder and warning for generations to come, the Lestranges made members not up to their standards vanish completely. Squibs, proof of someone's transgression, of impure blood in the family line. Or maybe proof of something else or so he had heard them whisper, proof of setting too much stock in purity, of marrying too close.

His mother had never stated it openly but the many instances of magic that seemed to happen to the other children including his mother were evidence enough. Rodolphus might lack magical skills but he was no fool. There was evidence enough if their parents didn't lie like Rodolphus' mother did whenever someone brought the subject matter up. He doubted that the others believed her though. He had actually seen proof of Evan Rosier's or Bellatrix Black's magical prowess but never given any of his own.

Rodolphus wasn't sure who had been more surprised, himself or his mother, when the letter for Hogwarts did arrive. No Squib after all, magic enough to go to school.

Rodolphus knew he should be happy. He wasn't bringing the greatest shame possible on the family name after all. He was a wizard, a worthy heir, everything was fine. Just that it wasn't. This letter didn't turn him into a capable wizard; he still couldn't hope to compete with the others who seemed to have so much more magic.

"Come on, it's time to go," Rodolphus' mother said. Her happiness about the news was much greater than his own. Having produced a Squib was a great shame for any pure-blood mother because it always came with the suspicion she might not have been faithful to her husband. If the husband was still alive, he could use the necessary spells to clear these doubts of cause but many didn't because blaming the woman was easier than accepting that they might have fathered a Squib. Rodolphus' father no longer lived to make this decision.

"Mother, will you buy me a new broom? A faster one? There's the new Cleansweep out."

Rabastan was four years younger than his brother but had shown magic on three occasions already. Like so many young witches and wizards, he was fascinated by Quidditch. Rodolphus never went near a broom, his mother didn't trust his magic to keep him in the air and neither did he.

"You don't need a faster broom until you're older," Renata Lestrange told him.

Rabastan didn't want to take "no" for an answer, Rodolphus listened only half-heartedly. They travelled to Diagon Alley by Portkey, a means of transportation Rodolphus found much more pleasant than Floo Powder even though many people were known to disagree. He had even learned to land gracefully by now; his mother had made him practice countless times in a row as a child so he wouldn't embarrass himself and her in public.

Diagon Alley was crowded as always. A few people turned their heads at the new arrivals but went on with their shopping right afterwards.

"We get it done more quickly if we split. I'll go to Gringotts with Rabastan and we'll get your books and cauldron, you can get your robes and potions ingredients. We meet at Ollivander's."

"Alright," Rodolphus said. Rabastan had yet to learn the art of patient, dignified waiting.

Rodolphus knew that he would get to Knockturn Alley if he walked past Gringotts and further. For a moment, he fantasized about being a respected dark wizard who could walk through there safely inspiring fear in lesser wizards and witches. Currently, not only his skills but also his age kept this dream from becoming true. He doubted that even Bellatrix Black would receive much respect if she walked in there at age eleven. A visit to Knockturn Alley was a very foolish idea indeed and Rodolphus didn't cherish it for long. Obediently, he went where his mother had sent him.

At Madam Malkin's, two giggling girls were already being outfitted. Rodolphus had to wait and spent the time observing them. One of them was round-faced and slightly plump, the other thinner with blond hair. Rodolphus hadn't met either of them before but he caught a few wisps of conversation. They discussed their future lives as Hufflepuff students which explained why they weren't familiar to him. They were probably from wizarding families but not from the kind the Lestranges tended to associate with.

"Hello there," the round-faced girl had noticed him.

"Well, hello," Rodolphus said. A thousand things went through his head, among them the question if his mother would be embarrassed if someone overheard him talking to them.

"Are you starting Hogwarts as well?"

"Yes, I do. You too?" It was a stupid thing to ask, Rodolphus knew that. She had just told him she did.

"Yes, both of us. I'm Alice Fawley by the way."

Rodolphus knew the name Fawley. They were well-known for their skill with plants. The Fawleys were pure-bloods and probably appropriate company in his mother's eyes. In this case her parents were more likely to object. His family name wasn't very respected in these circles. Pure-bloods were divided even though there were so few of them they better should stay together or so Cygnus Black kept saying.

Still, an introduction was in order, anything else would have been impolite. "My name's Rodolphus Lestrange."

Alice's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? And I thought you might be Muggle-born."

Rodolphus' heart beat furiously. He clenched his fists. How dare she? No one had insulted him like this before. Madam Malkins stopped pinning up the robes and shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you, I really didn't. There's nothing wrong with being Muggle-born," the Fawley girl said.

Rodolphus barely listened. He knew he should do something but he didn't know what. He didn't have a wand yet and even if he did, it probably wouldn't have done him much good. Not that he expected her to be a great duellist. Maybe they'd have to fight it out via a planting competition. The mental image was so amusing, he smiled despite of the situation.

"I'm really sorry," Alice repeated. "It's just, you were looking a bit lost, that's why I thought..."

"Muggle-borns are accompanied to Diagon Alley by a teacher." It was the first time the other girl had spoken.

"Really, are they?"

"Yes, they are."

"You really should think before talking," Madam Malkin advised. "There are people who wouldn't have taken this well at all. You're lucky that the young man was so gallant."

Rodolphus' face burned. He wasn't gallant; he simply lacked the necessary abilities to do something about such a situation. Well, he could have beaten her up like some of his peers probably would have done without a wand but two against one, the odds weren't very good. He was a coward, nothing more, and seemingly, he even looked like a Mudblood. No one had told him that before but the Fawley girl probably wasn't the only one who felt that way. At least she had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, this didn't go well at all," the other girl said. "I'm Dorcas Meadowes by the way. What house do you think you'll be in? Slytherin or somewhere else?"

The Meadowes family worked at the Ministry. They were a few generations of wizards but no proper pure-bloods. The Meadowes had a tendency to marry half-bloods and the like, even a werewolf was said to be among her ancestors. Rodolphus didn't answer her question. He did expect to go to Slytherin. His mother had been a Ravenclaw but most family members had been Slytherins and the people he knew all expected to go there as well. In Slytherin, he definitely wouldn't have anything to do with those two anymore. Madam Malkin began talking animatedly about the weather and all three customers gave a few polite answers. Rodolphus was quite glad when the girls finally had fitting robes and left the store. To his relief, no one else turned up while he stood on the stool and tried on his new school robes. It was quite an exposed position and he didn't want to face anyone this way. At least, it didn't take too long and he could pay and leave.

The visit to the apothecary was much more pleasant. Rodolphus' mother was skilled with potions and had often allowed him to help her prepare the ingredients. He liked the various smells of plants in different states of processing and even those of the conserved animal parts often considered unpleasant by others. The power contained in the ingredients and released by careful handling was intriguing.

The apothecary collected Rodolphus' things as another boy walked into the room. His short hair was brown with a hint of red, not dark blond like Rodolphus' and he walked into the shop in an easygoing manner. No one would confuse Evan Rosier with a Mudblood, it was clear that he belonged into the wizarding world.

"Rodolphus, nice to meet you. Did you already get your wand?"

"Not yet," Rodolphus said. "We want to collect it last."

"I didn't want to wait any longer than necessary." He withdrew an elegant-looking wand from the pocket of his robes. "Elm and dragon heartstring. The dragon killed five people trying to train him before he got killed and his heart taken."

Rodolphus tried to voice some enthusiasm. Elm wands were the only ones known to choose pure-bloods only and dragon heart string was the best core for those interested in the darker and more combative aspects of magic. Evan's parents would surely be satisfied. Rodolphus was sort of relieved that he didn't have his own wand yet. Maybe he'd end up with cherry and unicorn hair or similar.

The apothecary had collected Rodolphus' ingredients and went to fetch Evan's.

"Do you think you'll like Potions? I've heard it's quite difficult but Slughorn is the Slytherin head of house. He might give us some extra support."

"Maybe. I'd rather be able to do it myself though," Rodolphus said. He probably wouldn't have much of a choice anyway. His father used to be a member of the Slug Club but Rodolphus doubted that he would be chosen for this as well. Slughorn had probably heard about his magic issues from some of his many acquaintances. His father had also been chosen for the Slugclub before Rodolphus' uncle Rollo had been killed serving the continental dark lord Grindelwald. Rollo's behaviour had damaged the family's reputation considerably because they had failed to disown him in time. As far as Rodolphus knew, he had kept true to the pure-blood cause but tortured animals and other children including his siblings and cousins like Rodolphus' mother from a young age and later on served Grindelwald in this capacity.

"Still, it can't hurt if we get along with him," Evan said. "Most other teachers keep favouring the Muggle spawn. Dumbledore tries to hire only this kind. They try to keep Slytherin down as much as possible" He shook his head. "It's a shame."

"Yes, I know." Rodolphus' uncle had sent his cousin Rodlando to Durmstrang for this reason but his mother didn't want the same for him. Maybe she didn't consider him capable of passing the entrance test and getting along there or maybe the family feared he like his cousin would fall in love with a foreign witch and remain on the continent. "But Dumbledore is supposed to be the most powerful wizard of our time. I think alienating him too much would be unwise."

Evan sighed and took a few steps closer. "He might not remain that for long anymore. There's someone else, a wizard of extreme power. We only need to be patient, our time will come."

"Your potions set, Mr Rosier," the apothecary said. The doorbell rang once again and Alice Fawley and Dorcas Meadows walked in.

Rodolphus was relieved he didn't have to answer. Politics didn't interest him too much; his main concern was making it through Hogwarts without embarrassing his family too much.

Maybe Evan got the message, maybe he didn't want to say too much in front of all the others.

"I'm really looking forwards to finally being in Slytherin," Evan said. "My parents told me so much about it. You have to help me keep Bella and Sirius Black from killing each other though."

Rodolphus laughed. Sirius loved to bait his family and Bellatrix almost always fell for it.

"Let's hope the boys' and girls' dormitories aren't that close," he said not quite honestly. Rodolphus really liked the idea of being able to watch Bellatrix Black all day. Unlike him, she was an example of pure-blooded perfection and she had even talked to him politely more than once before.

"I can't await it," Evan said. "Finally not being watched by mother and father all day anymore."

"We'll be watched by teachers instead."

"Yes, but they won't be everywhere all the time." Evan looked towards the window and sighed. "Here's my mother, I need to leave. See you on the train"

The potion ingredients and the conversation with Evan had made Rodolphus feel much better. Maybe Hogwarts would be fun after all. He might be good in Potions and he certainly would do well in Herbology because he had helped take care of the magical plants in the Lestrange garden from a young age. His mother didn't want to entrust the House Elves with them. They could cook and clean but growing magical plants required much more. This made two subjects already and he'd also do well in the theoretical parts of all the others.

In front of Ollivander's wandshop, his mother and Rabastan were waiting. Rodolphus' brother held an ice-cream cone and a package that looked suspiciously as if it carried a new racing broom.

"I'll buy you a broom as well if you want one," knowing fully well that he didn't. He knew that she would buy him one though but Rabastan needed to learn that he couldn't have anything right away. Or else the little brat would become too obnoxious.

Rabastan waited outside with his ice-cream while Rodolphus and his mother went into the shop.

"Good afternoon, Madam Lestrange, you're here to buy a wand for your son."

"Obviously," Rodolphus' mother said more crisply than he considered necessary.

Ollivander first took Rodolphus' measurements in an elaborate way Rodolphus considered quite unnecessary. Wasn't the wand supposed to match his magic, not his body?

"Here, try this one. Cypress and Phoenix feather."

Rodolphus' mother already looked doubtful and she was right. When Rodolphus touched the wand, there was no reaction whatsoever.

The same happened with the elm and dragon heartstring one he tried next even though he really hoped for this one to match. It didn't and neither did the one combining dragon heartstring with ebony.

At first, Ollivander seemed to be excited by this. He kept offering more and more wands but none of them matched. Rodolphus himself tried to let this reassure him but it became more and more difficult the longer it took. There was no spark whatsoever, the same problem he had experienced all along.

Almost an hour later, Ollivander seemed more worried. After offering and taking back a wand combining ash and Phoenix feather, he gave up.

"I'm really sorry Madam but we don't seem to have anything that matches your son at the moment. This is rare but it happens, especially in old pure-blood families. Maybe you should try for a custom made wand made from something connected to your family."

Rodolphus barely listened. This was the worst possible outcome. There was no wand that matched him, he didn't have enough magic.

"How long would this take?" Mrs Lestrange asked.

"Well, you need to know that the creation of a wand is a highly demanding task that depends strongly on the materials used, the time of the magic year and many other factors. You could accept it around Halloween I think."

"This is ridiculous. My son starts Hogwarts at the first of September," Mrs Lestrange said. "I'll provide him with a wand in our family's possession. Have a nice day."

With that she led her son out of the shop. "He's only trying to get more money from us. What he suggested might work with the wood but the core needs to be from a magical creature still alive or killed a short time ago. We can't provide that and no one guarantees that the wand will match this time."

"You think he gave me the wrong wands on purpose?" Rodolphus asked. "So he could sell something more expensive?"

"That's exactly what I believe. Let's go home now."

Rodolphus desperately hoped his mother was right. She had to be right. It was because of Ollivander's greed, not Rodolphus' lack of magic, it had to be. The seed of doubt however remained. His magic was weak, he knew that.

At home, Rabastan wanted to try out his new broom, at least she hadn't told him. Rodolphus went into one of the rooms where they kept artefacts that weren't needed and not valuable enough to keep at Gringotts. Among them was rather large stack of wands. Trying them out felt almost like it had done at Ollivander's. This time, the wands felt as if they contained some strange power that seemed to whisper a variety of confusing things to Rodolphus. Some of them sent very disturbing images, of fear, pain and despair. He couldn't imagine using any of them for his own spell-casting. Way too distracting.

When he took another wand, he felt something different however. This wand made him feel powerful, a feeling that resembled what he had experienced when his opponents suddenly found themselves in pain. For a split second, he was sure he had seen a small, purple spark.

His mother seemed to have seen it as well. "Yes, take this one. It's actually one of the few wands here that actually belonged to your ancestors; the others have been won by them in fights."

Rodolphus nodded but he wasn't sure. Whatever this feeling was, it didn't seem to belong to him. Could this really work? It was the only time anything magical had happened though. Maybe he was so unused to it that it felt strange and disturbing.

"Who did it belong to?"

His mother sighed. "This used to be the wand of Rinaldo Lestrange. You've seen his portrait down on the corridor."

Rodolphus knew that name. "The Cruciatus curse theorist?"

His books were among those Rodolphus' mother didn't allow him to touch.

"Yes," Mrs Lestrange said slowly. "And he didn't limit himself to the theory. But we don't really have a choice, things are the way they are. You'll take this for now and maybe we can visit another wandmaker during your holidays. Rodlando might know someone from Durmstrang"

Rodolphus nodded. He was sort of relieved that he had found a wand that worked for him somehow but the difficult search had made his confidence diminish once more. Any normal witch or wizards, even the Mudbloods found matching wands but he did not. He probably wasn't far away from being a Squib.

.et**Wikipedia:** .et is the country code top-level domain for Ethiopia. "Et" is also the French and Latin word for "and", which would permit many domain hacks. Registrations are made at the second and third level. 


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**: Thank you for your reviews. I'm sorry for the Sorting Hat-song, poetry isn't my strength but wanted the information about the houses in it and tried my best. ;)

**Chapter 2**

**Bad Influence**

I don't believe it, it's the Lestranges. Thought the brat was a Squib."

The speaker was a man with a long mane of greying blond hair that made him resemble a lion. He was accompanied by a woman who didn't seem to have made much of an effort to avoid attracting Muggle attention. She wore a pointed hat with a large vulture on top.

They had brought a boy who was slightly older than Rodolphus and unlike him had perfected the art of walking with the casual confidence that befitted a pureblood.

"Debile thing he is."

"Keep your voice down, Algie," the woman implored.

"Don't mind him," Renata Lestrange told her sons slightly louder than necessary. "It's Algie Longbottom. He used to be an Auror but the Ministry dismissed him due to mental health issues. Wasn't capable of coping with the work you see."

Algie Longbottom, the wizard who had killed his Uncle Rollo, Rodolphus thought. According to his mother, it hadn't been a great loss but that didn't mean the thought wasn't making him angry.

Many people probably thought similar things about him but didn't voice it aloud. It wasn't done in polite company which the former Auror didn't seem to care about anymore. He'd have to get used to this kind of remark, at least until he had learned enough to fight back if it ever happened.

"Make sure you work hard, Frank," Mrs Longbottom told her son as he was about to board the train. "You're in third year now. That means your OWLs are approaching."

"Aren't we taking those in fifth year?" Rodolphus asked quietly. His mother nodded.

"Choose the people you're associating with wisely," Longbottom's uncle added. "There once was a time when you could expect a minimum of honour and decency from any pure-blood. These days are over, mind my words."

Behind the Longbottoms, a small queue had formed. Among the people lining up were Dorcas Meadowes and Alice Fawley. The latter quickly tired of waiting for Algie Longbottom to finish his little speech. "Excuse me; other people would like to board the train as well."

Rodolphus couldn't help but grin. He had considered doing the same thing.

Algie Longbottom stepped aside and gestured her to walk in. "Cheeky one you are," he said, patting her on the shoulder.

"Please keep your hands to yourself."

"Have a good time, Rodolphus. I know you'll do your best."

"Thank you, mother." Neither of them liked emotional, public farewell scenes.

Rodolphus boarded the train where Longbottom was talking to the two girls. "Thank you for saving me from my uncle. I thought I'd die of embarrassment before I make it onto the train."

The others laughed and Longbottom started to ask the usual questions if they were first-years and which house they thought they'd be in. Rodolphus didn't linger to listen; he wanted to find a seat.

In the next carriage, Evan Rosier invited him into the compartment he shared with Bellatrix Black, Avery, Wilkes and a second-year called Mulciber. Rodolphus sat down trying not to look too relieved. He hated the idea of being stuck alone or having to ask people he didn't know if he could share their compartment.

The train left King's Cross quickly. Mulciber had a copy of the Daily Prophet with him and told the others about a more radical new subset of the pro-pure-blood movement calling itself the "Death Eaters". They seemed to be responsible for the violent attacks on Muggle-borns, blood traitors and law-enforcement personal the Ministry had been so puzzled about. There were rumours about a new Dark Lord as well. Mulciber, Avery, Evan and Bellatrix seemed quite impressed, Rodolphus listened politely. He privately doubted that murder and torture were very likely to help the pro-pureblood-movement in the long run but kept quiet when he saw the enthusiasm displayed by the others.

Mulciber gave a mocking display of a Mudblood crying for its mother while being tortured and killed, Avery laughed. Rodolphus considered his behaviour somewhat tasteless.

"You seem to be quite fascinated by Muggle-borns if you go to such lengths to put yourself into their shoes," Bellatrix said with a hint of mockery in her voice.

This remark made Mulciber return to his chair. Rodolphus tried his best to keep his neutral expression. Mulciber's father used to be a friend of his own father but his mother hadn't thought very highly of him. "The Mulcibers are bad news, Rodolphus. There are many brutes who jump aboard the pure-blood movement to have an excuse for insults and violence. Some of them don't even deserve to be called pure-bloods themselves. Keep yourself away from this sort. They're a bad influence."

Rodolphus wondered why Mulciber wasn't sitting with his own year-mates. Maybe he didn't have many friends there. Or he hoped the first-years would accept him as a leader. Well, Bellatrix had made it clear that she didn't.

The conversation had turned towards Hogwarts quarters, subjects and teachers now. After a little while, Mulciber started to go on about the torture chambers located close to the Slytherin rooms and gave detailed and gory descriptions of the chains, shackles, whips and other torture instruments that had been put to use there and their effect on the victims.

Mulciber probably hoped he could frighten the first-years this way but for such plans, he had chosen the wrong audience. Compared to the tales Rodolphus had read about the back cellar of Lestrange Manor, Mulciber's stories were rather tame. He didn't tell him that but pointed out that while gory Muggle methods might look impressive at first glance they were nothing compared to the effects of the Cruciatus curse and similar magic, wielded by a capable dark wizard. Evan agreed while Mulciber claimed that bleeding wounds and broken bones were far more impressive than magic that simply caused pain. Avery and Wilkes supported Mulciber which resulted in a heated discussion. Bellatrix watched slightly amused but didn't take a position herself.

"Better be quiet now, boys," she said after a while. "The food trolley-woman is arriving and who knows, this Hufflepuff-do-gooder might have you admitted to Saint Mungo's if she listens in on this."

Rodolphus thought she was probably right. First-years discussing the most effective torture methods on their first journey to Hogwarts probably wasn't easy to swallow for this sort of people. He knew that his mother wouldn't approve either. She thought children should be kept away from violence completely and would be shocked if she knew which books Rodolphus had read in secret. Playing hide-and-seek with Rabastan in the back cellar probably wouldn't have met her approval either.

When the food trolley arrived, Rodolphus bought a collection of his favourite sweets. He needed something to help him over the first Hogwarts-weeks and Hogsmeade was off-limits to first-years. He'd have to wait until he was in third year before he could visit the village.

"Honestly, Tilly Toke," Mulciber said after opening his chocolate frog. "It's really a shame. The Ministry's trying to manipulate us. They want us to think that such a Muggle lover is a hero. And they've removed the Medea-card. Probably for this reason."

Rodolphus opened his own frog: "I've got Morgana."

"They'll remove her soon as well," Mulciber claimed.

"They won't. Not as long as my family has any influence at the Ministry," Bellatrix assured them.

Rodolphus was glad when they finally arrived and he could leave the train. The journey was really long. He really didn't understand why they had to take this Muggle vehicle even though they could reach Hogsmeade in a few minutes by Floo Powder.

The first-years were led to the castle by a huge, bearded man called Hagrid. He had attended Hogwarts with Rodolphus' mother and was expelled for bringing an Acromantula to school. As far as Rodolphus knew, he still loved dangerous creatures, not unlike the Care of Magical Creatures teacher Kettleburn. Stupid Gryffindor show-offs who didn't value their health. Rodolphus was glad about the fact that Care of Magical Creatures wasn't mandatory.

Quite a few people were awed when they saw Hogwarts for the first time. Rodolphus had seen pictures but the real thing was far more impressive.

The first-years crossed the lake by boat. Rodolphus wanted to follow the others when Hagrid's huge arm held him back. "Only four people in one boat," he said.

Rodolphus suppressed a sigh. He was number five of course.

"You can join us; there are only three of us yet."

This was Alice Fawley. Rodolphus didn't really feel like crossing the lake with her and Dorcas but he didn't really have much of a choice. The third girl was thin with long brown hair and glasses. She gave Rodolphus a suspicious look. "What's your name? I saw you with Mulciber on the train."

Rodolphus didn't feel like giving his name because he could already predict the reaction after this beginning. He still did though; anything else would have been both rude and embarrassing. He was one of the purest pure-bloods of Great Britain after all. Why would he be ashamed of his name?

The other girl made sure to sit as far away from both him and Alice. It wasn't easy on the small boat. She was eying Rodolphus with a mixture of hatred and fear as if she expected him to cast the killing curse on her any moment.

Rodolphus didn't like sitting on a shaking boat overly much. Being accompanied by a girl who seemingly hated him for his name alone didn't help. Alice's attempts to discuss their future houses didn't lead very far either. He tried his best not to do anything embarrassing such as falling into the lake and needing to be saved. Under these conditions, the journey felt extremely long.

When they finally arrived on the other side, he quickly rejoined Bellatrix and her gang. "I'm sorry you had to share the boat with these blood traitors," Evan said. "The one with the ugly glasses is Mary Macdonald. The daughter of the Auror who recently died from the Cruciatus curse."

"The Cruciatus curse isn't deadly," Rodolphus said. "Must have been medical malpractice. Not really surprising though. Many Healers treat it wrongly because they don't want to learn about it." He had read this in one of his family's forbidden books. The rest of the book had been pretty boring but this piece of information had stuck.

Evan shrugged. "If you say so."

At the gate, the first-years were greeted by a tall, dark-haired witch. Rodolphus knew it was Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor. Dumbledore really did make sure to get people from his own house into all the important positions.

She informed them about the four houses and their importance. Rodolphus already knew all of this. It was probably for the benefit of the Muggle-raised, he couldn't imagine any wizarding parent keeping this quiet at home. Most Lestranges had been Slytherins but there had been a few Ravenclaws, his mother being one of them. Rodolphus was quite sure he would go to Slytherin. Ravenclaw as the house of the clever was surely fine but he wouldn't know anyone there and his magical skills probably weren't good enough. He wasn't sure if he was intelligent enough either even though he wished to believe he was.

After her little speech, Professor McGonagall vanished and the first-years were kept waiting. Rodolphus tried not to be too nervous. What would he do if they realised now that they had made a mistake and that he couldn't really do magic? The spells he had attempted at home hadn't worked at all. Would they tell it to the whole school? Or would they take him aside and inform him in private?

He was relieved when they were finally allowed to walk into the Great Hall. "Look confident," he told himself. He was a pure-blood and needed to act it. Hundreds of students sat in the Great Hall staring at the first-years. Rodolphus knew he shouldn't but he tried to be as invisible as possible, standing between Bellatrix and Evan.

At the Slytherin table, Mulciber gave him the thumps-up. Rodolphus also recognised Lucius Malfoy, the only son and heir of his family. Malfoy was Slytherin prefect, an honour Rodolphus surely wouldn't be given. His father hadn't been prefect either, in his day; everything had gone to brilliant and handsome Tom Riddle. Rodolphus' mother still spoke very highly of him even though Rodolphus was quite sure he wouldn't have liked him. He tended to envy perfect people rather than admire them.

The Sorting Hat was brought into the Great Hall and sang its song.

You're standing here,

Your hearts full of worry

You don't know where to go

But don't you be afraid,

I know what I am doing,

For I've done it for a thousand years

So long ago,

Four witches and wizards of renown,

Founded this noble school

Each valued different things in those they taught

Brave Gryffindor chose those of greatest courage

The ones prepared to make great sacrifices for what's good and true

Wise Ravenclaw wished to teach those like her,

Quick thinkers, curious and determined

On their path to knowledge

Cunning Slytherin always keen on furthering his end

Chose the power-hungry and ambitious and those who wished to follow them

All of purest ancestry

Kind Hufflepuff took the rest and helped them on their path

Now come and put me on, I'm here to tell you where you belong.

The students already seated on their tables applauded and the Sorting began.

Avery was one of the first people to put on the hat which put him into Slytherin fairly quickly. Rodolphus could see Mulciber and Malfoy applaud.

To his slight surprise, the hat needed some more time before it decided to let Bellatrix join him. Sirius Black wasn't sorted into Slytherin at all but ended up in Gryffindor. Separating the two might not be a bad idea, Rodolphus thought. There was whispering at the Slytherin table.

The Blacks probably wouldn't be happy about this.

"Gryffindor, I don't believe it, Gryffindor," Evan kept repeating.

"Maybe he thinks it's the better political choice nowadays," Wilkes suggested.

If Alice Fawley thought the same way, the hat didn't even have time to see it, she was sent to Gryffindor as soon as she put it onto her head. With a slightly surprised look on her face, she walked over to the Gryffindor table. Rodolphus remembered that she had assumed to become a Hufflepuff.

After a few people he didn't know had been sorted, Professor McGonagall called: Lestrange, Rodolphus."

For the first time on this evening, all eyes were on him. Some people were whispering to each other and Rodolphus didn't doubt that most of it wasn't friendly. Even Dumbledore himself seemed to be watching him intently.

Professor McGonagall put the hat over his head and the rim kept him from seeing anything. The quiet talk of the other students suddenly seemed very far away now. Would the hat tell the entire Hall that he wasn't magical enough to be here now?

"You have an unusual mind," a small voice in his head said. It had to belong to the Sorting Hat. Rodolphus wondered if this was supposed to be a compliment or a politely worded insult.

"I see lots of potential but you have little respect for yourself. This is difficult, very difficult. You're longing for approval and respect from others."

The hat was right about the last part but Rodolphus wasn't sure if it had only mentioned his "potential" to comfort him. At least it didn't seem to want to send him away from Hogwarts.

"I can see ambition and a desire for power but they're very deeply buried inside you. I also see a wish to watch things grow and you are capable of great loyalty. You are prepared to put others before yourself if necessary and you don't mind hard work if you consider the goal worthy."

"Can't you simply send me to Slytherin?" Rodolphus asked. The hat didn't mention great intelligence or anything so it probably wouldn't want to send him to Ravenclaw.

"The way you look at the world right now, you won't be happy in Ravenclaw," the hat said. "There are many seeds within your mind and you shouldn't make them grow in the shadows of others, you should let them reach for the light. You'll be better off in HUFFLEPUFF."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN**: Thank you to everyone who has commented. A quick note: Most of the information in this chapter comes from Pottermore where I have been sorted into Hufflepuff ;). There are some spoilers if you want to avoid them but it's been quite a while but still, I wanted to mention it in time.

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**Chapter 3**

**Welcome to Hufflepuff**

Rodolphus simply remained sitting on the stool.

This couldn't be. It simply couldn't be. Ever since he could remember, Evan and Bellatrix and Sirius and all the others had made fun of the Hufflepuffs. They had teased each other about maybe becoming Hufflepuffs but nobody had thought it was really possible. Hufflepuffs were the stupid, untalented do-gooders. He wasn't any of these things. Well, untalented maybe but the rest? Rodolphus remembered the song of the hat. It had probably seen that no other founder would accept this student. Only kind Helga Hufflepuff would take him along with the others who weren't good enough for her colleagues. In front of his inner eye he could see himself standing in front of the four founders who looked as they had done in the pictures he had seen in the family library. Gryffindor shook his head. "He's cowardly and weak, not good enough for me."

"I don't want anyone who can't do proper magic. And he's not intelligent enough," said Rowena Ravenclaw.

"His blood is pure but his heart is weak and so is his magic. My house has no place for the likes of him," Salazar Slytherin said and plump and accepting Helga Hufflepuff was the only who didn't object to taking him in. He could join her and the other rejected students she had to teach.

"Mr Lestrange, we would like to continue with the Sorting."

The impatient voice of Professor McGonagall put an end to these musings.

"My apologies, Professor." His voice almost sounded the way a young pure-blood's should but his hands shook when he removed the hat from his head.

Some of the Hufflepuffs applauded politely but Rodolphus was more interested in the people on the Slytherin table. Mulciber whispered something to Avery who laughed. Bellatrix was in conversation with Malfoy and didn't even seem to notice what was going on, Evan, still standing in the line, looked into his direction and shrugged.

Slowly, Rodolphus walked towards the Hufflepuff table. A short-haired girl with a Prefect badge on her robes got up and shook his hand. "Welcome to Hufflepuff," she said. "My name's Amelia Bones. I'm Prefect and responsible for the first-years this year."

"Good evening. I'm Rodolphus Lestrange."

At least she was from a magical family. Rodolphus didn't know how he would handle dealing with a Muggle-born Prefect.

The next student, Diana Lufkin was sorted into Hufflepuff as well. The two students after her were Gryffindors. Mary Macdonald was one of them. At least they weren't in the same house. Dorcas Meadowes however became a Hufflepuff as she had expected. The Sorting had separated the friends. Dorcas gave Rodolphus a curious look and she wasn't the only one. Most people had to be surprised by this Sorting decision. No Lestrange had ever been in Hufflepuff, at least not one who was still talked about by the family. Taking everything into account, the Sorting probably wasn't so surprising after all. Rodolphus knew about his many short-comings, he had even considered the possibility that he might be a Squib. Of course he could only end up in the left-over house.

Evan made it into Slytherin and so did a boy called Severus Snape who seemed to take the term "dirty half-blood" somewhat too literally. Rodolphus remembered the scandal surrounding his mother's marriage to a Muggle. The treacherous woman had even felt the need to announce the abominable alliance in the Daily Prophet. And yet, the product of this defilement was sorted into Slytherin while Rodolphus was not. It wasn't fair. He was one of the students with purest blood. If that wasn't enough to get him into Slytherin, everything else about him had to be really lacking.

"You don't look very happy to be here," one of the other Hufflepuff first-years said.

"It was somewhat unexpected." Rodolphus said carefully. He knew better than to speak his mind.

"Indeed. You'll probably be one of the main topics for pure-blood gossips during the next few weeks. Together with Sirius Black in Gryffindor."

Thanks a lot, Rodolphus thought but he knew that the other boy was probably right.

"I'm Daniel Abbott by the way. My family's been in Hufflepuff since the days of Helga herself and it has done us no harm."

"Good to hear this," Rodolphus said. At least he wasn't the only pure-blood here. The Abbotts had never gained as much money and power as some other families but they were respected enough. Maybe Hufflepuffs simply didn't care about this kind of thing.

The last person to be sorted, Hyacinth Yaxley ended up in Slytherin which was no surprise. The Yaxleys were pure-blood but Rodolphus' mother didn't approve of them because she considered them too vulgar.

Dumbledore got to his feet and the students fell silent. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I hope you all had a pleasant journey and will have a good time here. There are a few announcements I have to make but they can wait till we have eaten. Let the feast begin."

Food appeared on the table. The quality was exquisite even to those like Rodolphus who were used to top-quality in anything his family owned.

After eating, Rodolphus felt slightly better. It was bad but still much better than being a Squib. Maybe it wasn't only a question of talent and breeding either or why else would Yaxley, Mulciber or Snape be in Slytherin while he was not? Or the Carrow siblings who were gulping down their food as if someone might take it away at any moment. Most people on his own table had considerably better table manners.

When all the food had vanished, Dumbledore got up to his feet. "Before we all go to bed, I have a few announcements to make. All new students should take into account that the forest on the grounds is forbidden for you. It's extremely important that you follow this rule, especially now. Mr Filch wishes me to remind you that the same goes for magic in the corridors and the use of a number of products from Zonko's Joke Shop. If you are unsure which products are concerned by this, you can consult a list in Mr Filch's office."

A few people laughed. Rodolphus decided that he'd only do this if he was very bored. He wasn't into practical jokes anyway.

"There's something else you need to take into account this year. Those of you who follow the Daily Prophet have probably heard about the worrisome political developments. Crimes of a brutality we didn't consider possible in the past have been committed as a result of misguided ideology. Since we don't really know what's going on and how dire the situation really is, I warn you all to exercise extreme caution, especially if you're out on the grounds or in Hogsmeade. If you notice a stranger on the grounds or in the castle or if one of your classmates starts to act in an unusual manner that suggests dark magic, inform your Prefects or one of your teachers. Keep your eyes open."

A tense silence followed these words. A few people on the Hufflepuff table exchanged fearful looks. Their reactions couldn't have been more different from those of Mulciber and the other on the train. Even now in front of Dumbledore, Mulciber and Avery could barely hide their smiles. They truly weren't the brightest.

"On a more pleasant note: I am glad to announce that Ministry of Magic Obliviator Mr Peasegood has agreed to become our new Defence Against the Dark Arts-teacher."

The youngest person on the High Table, a young man with brown hair and glasses waved at them. Rodolphus joined in the applause. Obliviators were highly trained in mind magic which he thought was highly fascinating. Maybe he'd teach them some of it in his class. This could definitely have been worse.

"Thank you for your attention. And now it's time to go to bed. A busy day is waiting for you," the Headmaster concluded.

The students applauded and Amelia Bones got up. "First-Years come here please."

About a dozen people assembled around the Prefect. Daniel Abbott and Dorcas Meadowes were the only ones Rodolphus knew by name. He assumed that the brown-haired, rather haughty-looking boy with an upturned nose had to be a Smith though. The family was quite pretentious and claimed that they were descendents of Helga Hufflepuff but their blood credentials weren't certain.

At the other side of the Great Hall, Lucius Malfoy had assembled the new Slytherins. Rodolphus caught a short glimpse of the back of Bellatrix' head, covered by sleek and shiny black hair. She was chatting with Evan and for the split of a second, Rodolphus considered simply following them and insisting that the hat had made a mistake.

He knew that this wasn't possible of course and so he followed Amelia Bones. He didn't really envy the others for having to endure the condescending behaviour Lucius Malfoy showed to anyone who was younger or considered inferior for some other reason.

"You've heard what Professor Dumbledore said about the rules," Amelia Bones said. "Doing as he says is in your best interest. I don't want any of you to get into trouble for foolish actions. We Hufflepuffs only break the rules if we have a very good reason to do so."

A few people laughed. They probably thought that her last sentence contradicted the rest of her statement. Rodolphus wasn't sure if he agreed.

He tried hard to remember the way they were led but it wasn't easy. There probably wasn't a way to avoid getting lost during the first week, it had happened to his mother as well. Like Slytherin, Hufflepuff seemed to be on the ground floor. They walked along a broad corridor with pictures featuring various kinds of food on the wall. Rodolphus had to admit that he preferred it to the Muggleish knights that could be found in other parts of the castle.

Their journey ended in front of a nook with a huge stake of barrels in it.

"Here's the entrance to our common room. If you want to get in, you need to tap this barrel in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff. Then the entrance will open."

Rodolphus would have preferred a password like the Slytherins had it. He wouldn't have been very happy with the Ravenclaw riddle but this didn't seem very secure.

Amelia tapped the barrel she had pointed it and the entrance opened. The students crept in and walked along the passageway behind the entrance. Rodolphus looked around curiously. No one in his family had seen this yet.

The common room was round with ground-level windows and many plants on the windowsills and even hanging from the ceilings. Rodolphus remembered that the young Herbology teacher would be his Head of House. At least something, he would do well enough in her class. The sofas and chairs looked quite comfortable.

"Please sit down for a moment. I'd like to tell you a few things before you go off to bed," Amelia sat.

Rodolphus did and noticed that the chairs didn't only look comfortable, they were.

"Those of new whose families aren't frequently sorted into Hufflepuff and maybe the new ones as well might have heard less than flattering things about our house. This year's Sorting Hat-song didn't help much either."

She frowned. "In most years, the Hat also mentions what a Hufflepuff's actual qualities are. This time, I'm going to tell you. We Hufflepuffs are known for loyalty, a sense of justice and for being prepared to work hard for what we want to achieve. The latter especially receives some scorn from those who believe that cheating or bending the rules is preferable to making an actual effort but I heartily disagree and I'm sure you will soon do so as well."

A few older Hufflepuffs had gathered around as well.

"The Sorting Hat didn't mean to imply that Helga Hufflepuff accepted the students no other founder wanted. The Hat wanted to tell us that she unlike the others didn't judge by names or first impressions gathered at the age of eleven, she accepted everyone and helped them grow if only they had what made them worthy of these efforts, a sense of loyalty, justice and fair-play. Hufflepuff house has been home to witches and wizards of great ambition such as Minister of Magic Artemisia Lufkin, Dugald McPhail and Grogan Stump and to those of great intelligence such as Bridget Wenlock and Newt Scamander, who has written our text book on magical creatures among many other books and discoveries. It's all up to you. All in all, the benefits members of our house have brought to our society far outweigh the harm which can't be said about all other houses, especially not about the Slytherins of course."

Daniel, Dorcas and a few others applauded. Rodolphus wondered if the last part was directed at him. Either way, Amelia at least wasn't the wimpish kind of person most people in his circles expected from a Hufflepuff. She was a good speaker and Rodolphus didn't doubt that she could make her future at the Ministry just like the other Bones before her. Most of them had probably been Hufflepuffs as well.

Amelia showed them how to get to their dorms. They were behind round doors in the walls. "Unlike the other houses, we have no facilities that prevent boys from visiting the girls' dormitory. Helga Hufflepuff thought that Hufflepuff boys were trustworthy enough for that. So far, no one has proven her wrong. Please don't be the first ones who do. Anyway, someone probably has to remind you of that again in a few years."

Some of the students laughed.

The dormitories were reached through round doors. A rather plump boy managed to hit his head on the doorframe. He laughed it off though, Rodolphus would have been extremely embarrassed in his position and was extra-careful to get in without trouble.

The rooms were comfortable as well but sharing a room with five others would still take some getting used to for Rodolphus who normally had various rooms to his own. The four-poster-beds offered some sense of privacy at least and everyone had a sink of his own in the bathroom. The beds were arranged on the backside of the room and everyone had a window behind his bed.

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves first," one of the boys suggested. "I'm Edgar Bones, the brother of our dear Prefect." He winked.

Abbott was next and Rodolphus had been correct about assuming that the other boy was a Smith, Jonathan Smith. The boy who had hit his head was called Davey Gudgeon, not a name Rodolphus was familiar with from pure-blood circles. The other two students were called Nick Summerby and Tilden Toots. The Summerbys were a magical family while Toots admitted quickly that he was Muggle-born. "I still can't believe it. Magic is really real. And all those plants out there. I've never seen any ones like them. I'm really looking forward to learning about magic."

He got the bed farthest away from Rodolphus' who wasn't sure if it was a coincidence or if it had been subtly arranged this way by Bones. Fellow pure-blood Abbott had the bed next to his.

Rodolphus was last to introduce himself.

"Be glad that you've escaped Slytherin," Edgar Bones said. "They've always attracted some dodgy folks but it's never been as bad as nowadays. Slughorn doesn't really care about most of his house at all and their behaviour has gotten quite out of control."

Smith nodded. "If they're keeping this up a Slytherin will be rejected everywhere soon."

"We're much better off with Professor Sprout," Bones said. "She's quite young but a very good teacher who actually stands by her house."

"Thank you," Rodolphus said.

Avoiding Slytherin hadn't been his intention at all but he was glad that they didn't act like Mary Macdonald. Maybe the Hufflepuffs thought that being sorted into their house was prove enough that he didn't live up to the worst prejudices his family faced. He couldn't deny that they had a point about Slytherin. Mulciber, Avery, the Carrows, this Snape person all didn't live up to his family's ideas of proper pure-blood life. The Bones came much closer to that, despite of Walter Bones' unfortunate decision to marry a Muggle-born witch and make a public stand about it in 1822.

The curtains of the four-poster-beds muffled the noises from the other students. Fortunately, no one seemed to snore too loudly and the bed didn't have to fear comparison with those Rodolphus was used to at home.

When he fell asleep, he dreamed he had been sorted into Slytherin and followed Lucius Malfoy downstairs to the dungeons. Evan, Bellatrix and the others were with him and they were looking around to see if Mulciber's claims about the torture had been true. It was much too dark to see anything though. When they arrived in their greenly lit common room, Lucius told them about Dumbledore favouring the other houses, especially his Gryffindor and how Slytherins had to stick together in front of others and be best at everything if possible. "How would we not? We're the house with the highest number of pure-bloods," Bellatrix said.

When he woke up, Rodolphus needed a while to realise that he wasn't in Slytherin. He was in Hufflepuff and tomorrow, he'd have to write to his mother and explain this to her.

All alone in the darkness, he felt disappointment well up inside of him. They would never understand. He was torn away from the people he knew and no pretty words from any Bones would change this. He could already imagine his mother's reaction. She wouldn't be angry like others but simply quietly disappointed. She would know as well as he did, what this meant. There weren't many if any pure-blood girls who'd want to marry a Hufflepuff. Keeping the family line alive would become extremely difficult.

He had always known that it wasn't sure if he'd ever get the respect befitting a Lestrange heir, now he knew he would not.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for yours reviews once again.  
My apologies for the delay but I had a rather busy time.

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**Chapter 4**

**The First Day**

Amelia Bones accompanied the Hufflepuff first-years on their way to the Great Hall the next morning. Rodolphus would never admit it but he was quite glad about that. He couldn't remember the way very well and didn't want to be late for one of his first lessons.

Breakfast wasn't quite as splendid as the feast but ample enough. Professor Sprout walked around handing out time tables. Rodolphus looked at his and noticed that his first class would be Herbology. At least he'd be starting each week with a subject he actually liked. The Hufflepuffs had Herbology with the Gryffindors and Potions with the Ravenclaws. There were no shared classes with the Slytherins. Rodolphus wouldn't see much of Evan, Bellatrix and the others.

On the way to Herbology, he did meet the Slytherins however. Bellatrix, Evan, Wilkes and Avery stood near the door between the Great Hall and the Entrance Hall. Bellatrix merely looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Morning, Lestrange," Avery called. "If I may still call you that. Does your family accept Hufflepuffs?"

Rodolphus didn't know what to retort, as always in this kind of situation. His reaction wasn't unexpected of course but that didn't make it hurt any less. He didn't know how his family would react yet. The letter still needed to be written.

"I've never heard of pure-bloods being sorted there," Avery added. "At least none who aren't called Abbott of Fawley."

"Well, it has happened now," Rodolphus said.

"Are you sure?" Avery asked with a smirk. "Maybe your mother wasn't too faithful and met some Muggle in this village near your house. This would explain why you can't do magic as well, wouldn't it?"

Rodolphus' hand clenched around the wand in his pocket. His heart was pounding with all the anger and frustration he had felt after the Sorting Hat's decision. "You're not insulting me or my mother like this."

He wasn't sure if he said those words aloud or not, what happened next drew everyone's attention away. Avery clutched his stomach and started yelping. His legs gave way underneath him.

At that very moment, Professor McGonagall walked past.

"Professor, Lestrange has put the Cruciatus curse on me," a breathless Avery claimed.

Professor McGonagall frowned.

Before she could say anything, a voice from the side spoke up. "This is ridiculous. He didn't even draw his wand." Alice Fawley. Dorcas and a black-haired Hufflepuff-girl whose name Rodolphus didn't know yet eagerly agreed with Alice. Rodolphus hadn't even noticed that there were so many spectators.

"The Slytherins insulted him for no reason and when he didn't react, Avery came up with this rubbish," she continued.

"It's alright," McGonagall said to the girls. "I don't believe this of course. A Hufflepuff on his first day has supposedly used the Cruciatus curse without a wand? This would be laughable if the accusations weren't so severe."

"But it's true," Avery persisted.

"10 points from Slytherin for spreading dangerous lies about other students. I give you the benefit of the doubt; you're probably too young to understand what your accusations actually mean. Otherwise it would be detention. And now make sure you get away and into your classes or it will be 20."

The Slytherins scurried away but not without Bellatrix giving Rodolphus a long look. She knew that this kind of thing had happened to him before. It wasn't the real Cruciatus curse of course but some sort pain-causing magic that turned up as his accidental magic. He really needed to make sure it didn't happen again. The others wouldn't keep believe it was a coincidence. At least, Bellatrix had kept quiet about it. If she had told McGonagall that it had happened before, Rodolphus might be in real trouble. Now Avery was and Rodolphus knew he should be happy but he wasn't. Until yesterday, he had thought these people were his friends or at least the closest thing to friends he had. Now it seemed to be over because of one hat's quick decision.

He took a deep breath and followed the other Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors towards the greenhouses.

"Why did you bother with him?" Mary Macdonald asked rather aggressively. "I don't think Avery was faking it. You don't know what those people from dark families are like. Evil to the core. It runs in their blood."

"It's impossible and you now that," Alice responded. "Seriously, he's been sorted into Hufflepuff."

"So what. Maybe he's cheated or black-mailed the Sorting Hat so he can infiltrate the house."

"Mary, you are quite paranoid, aren't you?"

"I'm only realistic. Never trust a Lestrange."

Rodolphus walked more slowly. He wasn't interested in overhearing any more discussions about himself. Would Bellatrix and the others believe that he had made the Hat put him into Hufflepuff on purpose? Unlikely, the annoying Macdonald girl probably was the only one who believed he could be a real dark wizard. A real dark wizard with a plan that involved being in Hufflepuff. Too bad she was wrong.

Professor Sprout hesitated for a while when she saw Sirius Black's name on the list of Gryffindors and she did the same when it was Rodolphus' turn.

They had to work in pairs, Dorcas and Alice worked together, the latter didn't seem to be too sad about the chance to get away from Macdonald. The girl worked with a redhead Rodolphus didn't know.

Rodolphus himself was left partnerless until Professor Sprout told him to work with a peaky-looking Gryffindor who shared this fate.

"Hello, I'm Remus Lupin." The boy seemed quite shy for a Gryffindor.

"Rodolphus Lestrange." He had heard some rumours about a magical creatures expert called Lupin who had for some reason chosen to marry a Muggle woman. This made the boy a half-blood but Rodolphus decided to try some polite conversation despite of this.

"I've heard about your father, he's rather good in getting rid of Boggarts, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's working for the Department for the Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures," Lupin said, his voice slightly more confident.

To Rodolphus' relief, Lupin was quite good with plants and not afraid of getting his hands dirty like Rodolphus' pure-blood acquaintances. Mudbloods might be called that because Muggles lived in the mud but that didn't mean that working with plants was beneath a witch or wizard. This time, Rodolphus wasn't sad that he didn't have this class with the Slytherins and had to endure their derisive comments about the subject.

"Well-done," Professor Sprout said when she examined their re-potting work at the end of the class and awarded both their houses five points each. Rodolphus smiled for the first time this morning. He had earned a few house points rather than losing any on his first day. This gave him an advantage over Avery even though Professor McGonagall's decision hadn't been entirely fair. He had truly cursed him somehow but he wasn't going to tell anyone. His supposed Hufflepuff sense of justice wasn't that pronounced. There seemed to be some truth in the claim that Slytherins weren't treated very fairly though. Maybe being in another house did have some advantages but did it have to be Hufflepuff of all places?

The good times didn't last long. On the way back to the castle, a Gryffindor boy with untidy black hair used a tripping charm on Rodolphus. He didn't notice in time of course and fell into the grass. The boy and his mate both laughed. The latter one's reaction was even more hurtful because the Gryffindor in question was Sirius Black, Bellatrix' cousin. A part of Rodolphus had hoped that they could ally themselves because they shared a similar fate but this hope dissipated quickly now. Black seemed to share his cousins opinion about Hufflepuff.

The red-headed girl who had worked with Macdonald helped Rodolphus up. "Don't mind Potter, he's a git," she said.

Rodolphus thanked her but didn't say anything. He did mind but he wasn't going to say so because it would only make him look weak which he was of course but this wasn't something everyone needed to know. Instead, he wondered who the girl could be. Her noble features made him assume that she had to be pure-blood. A Prewett or Weasley probably if the hair colour was anything to go by. These families were so numerous no one really knew the names of all the members.

"Hogwarts is a great place but there are quite a few people who don't seem to have the best manners," she said with a sigh. "Not every Gryffindor seems to understand that courage doesn't mean being rude to others."

"Probably. I don't know many Gryffindors," Rodolphus said.

"Hufflepuffs seem to be better in this regard," the girl said.

She sighed. "Oh no, not that lot again."

Rodolphus quickly realised who she was talking about. Bellatrix and the Slytherin boys were standing at the gate, attempting to give the impression that they owned the place.

Rodolphus wondered if they wanted to avenge the lost points from earlier. Bellatrix' dark eyes wandered over Rodolphus' slightly dirty robes and lingered on the girl who had accompanied him from the greenhouses.

"You've only been in Hufflepuff for one day and you're already walking around with Mudbloods," she said derisively.

Rodolphus looked at the red-haired girl. Could she really be a... For a moment, he wanted to tell Bellatrix that he had thought she was pure-blood but he thought better of it. He would politely tell her to clear the path like Alice had done with Longbottom's uncle and that would have to do.

Before he could do so, the girl in question was there as well. "Wash out your mouth Black. What's your problem anyway? Are you following Rodolphus around or what?"

Bellatrix looked at Rodolphus. "You're on first-name terms with the likes of her now?"

"Really Alice, stop bothering with this lot."

Rodolphus looked at the blue sky in exasperation. Couldn't he be spared Mary Macdonald at least?

"They're not worth it. Cad's fighting when ended is soon mended."

Bellatrix' eyes flared angrily. "How dare you use this kind of language against us? Half-breed scum. Let's hope that the world will be cleansed of the likes of you quickly."

This seemingly hit a nerve with Macdonald. She drew her wand and muttered something. There was a flash of light in Bellatrix' direction but she deflected it with a lazy flick of her wand. Unlike Rodolphus, she had obviously practiced.

"What are you doing? We're not supposed to use magic between classes. Didn't you hear Professor Dumbledore?" the Muggle-born said.

"Shut up you stupid Mudblood," Avery hissed. "You won't boss us around."

Alice hit him with the Leg-Locker-spell. "Don't use this word," she said slowly and loudly while Avery was hopping around helplessly. He didn't seem to know the counter spell and Bellatrix didn't bother to help.

Rodolphus didn't feel like getting involved in an argument with magic at all. He couldn't use any and even if he did whom was he supposed to support? The Slytherins kept insulting him and probably wouldn't thank him but he wasn't going to raise a wand against them either.

The Muggle-born girl seemed to share his sentiments: "Come on, let's go," she said. "We're only getting ourselves into trouble."

Alice released Avery who tottered around for a little while longer before attempting to send a rather nasty curse into Alice's direction. She dodged it but if Rodolphus wasn't very much mistaken it wouldn't have worked anyway.

"Come along," Bellatrix told her group with a disdainful look at Avery. They walked away towards the marble staircase leading to the upper floors; Rodolphus was surprised about this quick retreat.

Just when she had reached the foot of the staircase, Bellatrix turned around again aimed her wand at Macdonald and cast a spell. The annoying Gryffindor was caught by surprise and hit by the spell that made angry red furuncles appear on her face.

Macdonld covered her face in her hands, moaning, the Slytherins laughed and walked away quickly. Rodolphus wished he could have joined them and congratulate Bellatrix on the good spell work. She was already better than other at the end of first year or even later.

"You need to go to the Hospital Wing," Alice told Macdonald. "I hope we find it. Lily, can you tell Professor Peasegood that we might be late?"

"Yes, of course," the Muggle-born said. So Rodolphus knew her first name now. Lily, it could have been a witch's name but Rodolphus didn't think Bellatrix was wrong. Her knowledge about bloodlines was usually accurate.

He took a deep breath. Why couldn't he belong anywhere? The Slytherins hated him now and he would, obviously never belong with the Gryffindor girls.

"The Slytherins really don't seem to want to get along with others," Lily stated after Alice had walked the injured Macdonald away. "Do they really think throwing around insults makes them sound high-class? In the Muggle world, it's the opposite. That's probably why Mary said what she did."

"I don't know. Avery isn't exactly what you'd call high-class though." Rodolphus felt slightly bad about turning on him like this but it wasn't as if this hadn't been mutual. "He's pure-blood but well, that's all."

"I hope you won't think I'm too curious but why do they seem to believe you should have been one of them?"

"Well, most people in my family have been Slytherins," Rodolphus said. "My mother was in Ravenclaw though."

He wasn't sure why he felt the need to emphasize this. The girl was a Muggle-born; her opinion didn't matter at all, did it?

"Ah, I see. Well, people can be very different even if they're from the same family. My sister and I are as well."

"So your sister is not a witch?"

"No, she isn't."

Lily's voice sounded slightly bitter. A touchy subject? Everyone, well at least everyone who hadn't lapped up the pretty Ministry propaganda knew that Muggles hated everything magical. Maybe this even included magical family members. Maybe she was half-blood after all, magic couldn't come from nowhere. She didn't seem like someone with no magical blood at all but Rodolphus knew that appearances could be deluding. He didn't seem like a pure-blood either as he knew.

"Do you have any siblings?" she asked.

"Yes, I have a younger brother and he's already better at magic than I am." Rodolphus didn't know why he was telling her this. Maybe because she was a Muggle-born and her opinion didn't matter anyway. It wasn't a problem if she knew about his short-comings.

"Well, I don't think I can do much either. I've practiced a few charms but it's probably nothing compared to those who've done it for their whole life."

"Well, people from magical families aren't allowed wands before Hogwarts either."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. Maybe they think it's not safe if people are too young."

Rodolphus wasn't going to share his other theory with her.

"Well, I have to go this way now, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Sounds really exciting. It's been nice talking to you." She smiled and turned around the corner. Rodolphus walked to the Transfiguration classroom on his own. Most of the other Hufflepuffs were already assembled there.

Professor McGonagall began her class with a warning about the dangers of her subject and changed her table into a pig later. Rodolphus knew that pig-related magic was particularly difficult. She was good at what she was doing, there was no doubting this.

The students began their Transfiguration education with a supposedly easy task, changing matches into needles. To Rodolphus however, the assignment was anything but easy. His match refused to do anything at all and he couldn't feel anything magical either. This was how what he thought Muggles trying to do magic must feel like. The more time passed, the more desperate Rodolphus felt. Had his Hogwarts letter been an accident after all? Didn't he possess enough magical strength? He remembered the fighting spells cast by the girls from Gryffindor and Slytherin earlier. They seemed so good at magic already. That was the way pure-bloods were supposed to be like. Not useless like Rodolphus.

Professor McGonagall wasn't very helpful either. She focused on Edgar Bones and Dorcas Meadowes who were the only ones actually able to make their needles look slightly silvery. The others didn't seem to be much more successful than Rodolphus but that wasn't very comforting. They were Hufflepuffs after all and Rodolphus didn't doubt that Bellatrix and the others did much better. At least they weren't watching.

At the end of the lesson, the two best students had earned a few points for Hufflepuff.

"Transfiguration is a highly difficult art," Professor McGonagall. "Mastering it takes a long time and the first steps are the most difficult. Continue practicing and study the theory thoroughly in your free time and you will learn to do better. For next lesson, you're going to write a role of parchment on the laws governing basic Transfiguration."

A few of Rodolphus' classmates groaned slightly at this but Rodolphus hoped that studying the theory might help him.

After the lesson, he wrote his letter home.

Dear Mother

How are you?

I'm fine; the journey to Hogwarts went well. The Sorting Hat put me into Hufflepuff. I know this is slightly unexpected but in the current political climate, it's probably more beneficial than being in Slytherin. The Head of House is Professor Sprout, the Herbology Mistress.

Your son

Rodolphus

He sighed. Hopefully, his mother would accept this. He didn't have an owl of his own, she thought it was unnecessary and didn't approve of the owl accommodations at Hogwarts. She was worried their owls might contract diseases from animals with neglectful owners. Rodolphus knew there was an Owlery but he didn't know where. As much as he disliked it, he would have to ask.

"I'm writing to my parents as well," Edgar Bones said. "We can go together. I think I'll find the Owlery, Amelia has told me where it is."

After quite a few detours, the boys arrived at the Owlery which didn't look as bad as Rodolphus had expected. He sent a tawny owl on its way while Edgar used his own.

"My parents will be relieved. They keep fearing one of us might get sorted into Slytherin. As if."

"Well, my mother wouldn't have been bothered by that."

"But she doesn't approve of Hufflepuff very much?" Edgar guessed correctly.

"I don't know. We've never really talked about it," Rodolphus said. "She was in Ravenclaw, my father in Slytherin."

"Ravenclaws often look down on us," Edgar said. "But some of them grow out of it. There are quite a few Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff-couples, believe it or not. Generally, we get along best with the Gryffindors though."

Rodolphus remembered Sirius' behaviour from earlier. He couldn't really agree with this but maybe Sirius wanted to impress his new "friend" by showing he didn't want anything to do with his old acquaintances anymore.

"The relationship with the Slytherins is worst. Our values are completely opposed."

Rodolphus didn't respond to this. In theory, he was right but Rodolphus still felt that he should have been a Slytherin. He wasn't that different from them, was he? So why had he been sorted differently?

Edgar didn't seem to remember his sister's information concerning the way from the Owlery to the Great Hall overly well which meant that the two Hufflepuffs had almost no time left for lunch if they wanted to arrive in History of Magic in time. Edgar claimed that this wasn't necessary because the Ghost teacher Professor Binns didn't notice this kind of thing anyway and Rodolphus decided to trust him. When they arrived, Binns didn't interrupt his drawling about some important political meeting involving Goblins. Hogwarts History of Magic class never dealt with historical events between humans. The class was quite boring but Rodolphus made notes anyway. He would need to learn some of it by heart if he wanted to past the exam at the end of the year and writing made the boredom slightly easier to endure.

Hogwarts History of Magic class was a shame, he completely agreed with his mother and Bellatrix' parents on that.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for your reviews. I'm glad so many people are still following this story. Sorry for the rather lony delay, but I've been far more busy than expected once again. Lab reports took a lot of time...

_Warning_: This chapter contains bullying.

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**Chapter 5**

**Hunters and Prey**

On Thursday afternoon, the Hufflepuff first-years had their first Defence-Against-the-Dark- Arts class. The classroom was still locked and the Hufflepuffs sat next to the door, waiting for Professor Peasegood. Rodolphus was the only one sitting at the other side of the corridor. No one had told him that they didn't want him around but it was the impression he got.

For some reason, Potter, Black and the watery-eyed boy who kept hanging around with them stood at the corner. Rodolphus wondered if they had DADA with the Gryffindors. As far as he knew it wasn't a lesson they shared with any other house.

They seemed to look at him, but maybe it was just his imagination. Recently, it had rarely ever been but still. Rodolphus decided to take a look at his book.

As soon as he took the defence book out of his bag, it began to move. The book slowly turned into a giant spider. The Gryffindors were roaring with laughter. They probably expected him to start screaming like a little Muggle girl but Rodolphus didn't do them that favour. He was rather fond of spiders. They were quite useful in various experiments. It was very unlikely that they had gotten hold of any really dangerous specimen. Probably from this new joke shop in Hogsmeade. Dumbledore had mentioned it in his speech at the beginning of the year but he couldn't remember the name. Some of the other Hufflepuffs did scream and back away though.

"Very funny, I'm impressed," Edgar Bones said as the spider crawled away. "Tell me, what did you bribe the Sorting Hat with?"

"What are you on about Bones?" Potter asked.

"I thought Gryffindor was about bravery? And I keep seeing the three of you picking on people who are alone."

He was definitely right, Rodolphus thought. If he wasn't the subject of their "funny jokes" it was friendless half-blood Severus Snape and not one of the well-connected Slytherins like Avery. His enemies keeping each other busy would have been quite convenient for Rodolphus but so far, it wasn't happening. Too bad, he obviously didn't have the Slytherin qualities necessary to arrange it.

"It was only a joke. Nothing's happened to him, has it?"

"Don't be such a spoilsport," Black added.

"What you're doing isn't funny, it's cowardly and mean. And now you give Rodolphus' book back and leave him alone in future or I'll have to discuss your ideas of Gryffindor values with your Head of House."

The small boy paled visibly at the mention of Professor McGonagall.

"Here it is," Potter said and tossed the book towards Bones who caught it with an angry look. Rodolphus decided that he'd have to take his things with him to the toilet in future. Annoying, but there obviously wasn't an alternative.

He thanked Bones who shrugged. "I'm sure Potter will stop this rubbish soon. It's not a Gryffindor's style, normally."

Rodolphus doubted that but he didn't argue and checked the book instead. At first glance at least, it didn't seem to be damaged.

Five minutes later, Professor Peasegood opened the door. "Come in, class," he said brightly.

The students walked into the classroom which was slightly too big for the twelve Hufflepuffs. Rodolphus wondered if classes had once been bigger. Maybe before the witch hunts when Muggles had slaughtered so many of them.

"You are here to learn how to protect yourselves from dark magic and dangerous magical creatures," Professor Peasegood said when everyone had found a seat and he had called out their names from his list, a ritual performed by every teacher during their first lesson. "You've all heard the term dark magic but can anyone tell me what it actually means?"

Rodolphus was among the first people who raised their hand.

"Yes, Mr Lestrange, isn't it?"

"Yes, Sir. Dark magic includes any form of magic which is mainly meant to cause subjugation, severe pain and death. The Unforgivable curses do this in the purest way, that's one of the reasons why they're classified like this. Other dark spells come down to it as well in the end. It can be a combination of the three things though."

"Very good," Professor Peasegood said. "Five points to Hufflepuff."

Edgar Bones and Dorcas Meadowes gave Rodolphus appreciative looks.

"Mr Lestrange accurately described the class of dark magic we're dealing with in this class, the kind that's directed against humans. The "mainly" is important as well. Quite a few dark spells which do damage to objects as well exist but their main purpose is always to harm humans and other living beings. There is another class of dark magic which is about practitioners attempting to achieve unnatural advantages over other people; it's usually coupled with the first class and also involves plenty of mental and physical damage in the dark wizard. We're not discussing this here in class because the only thing we have to do to defend ourselves against it is not doing it."

Rodolphus wouldn't admit it, no one was asking him anyway, but he hadn't heard of this kind of magic before. They didn't own books on it or maybe they were kept somewhere where the children really couldn't reach them.

Professor Peasegood now asked the students for dark spells and creatures they had heard about. The second list was much longer which didn't surprise Rodolphus. Most parents warned their children about dark creatures but they usually didn't discuss the dark arts with them. He was actually rather surprised to hear that Edgar Bones knew about Fiendfire and Dorcas Meadowes about the Collabefio-spell which broke the victim's resistance to magical or other influence from the caster.

Everyone who could name a spell or creature received a point which made the students feel quite content. Rodolphus suspected that it wouldn't do them much good in the competition because he probably gave the other houses points for this as well though.

"You are first-year students and your knowledge of magic is rather limited at the moment of course. The Ministry curriculum doesn't involve any practical magic in this class."

He smiled slightly. "The Gryffindors and Slytherins have been rather upset about this, I notice you are not. Given the current political situation, I still think it is advisable that you all learn some basic defensive spells before you finish your first year but don't worry, they won't be relevant for the exam."

Rodolphus was relieved to hear it. His practical magical skills were still non-existent. Not only Transfiguration but also Charms which was supposed to be much easier had been a series of failures for him so far. Maybe it would get better until the end of the year though. He barely dared to hope for it but he couldn't quite give up hope either.

"They might become relevant for your life though. You've all heard what the Headmaster said at the start-of-term-feast and I think most of you are following the news coverage to some extent as well. The British magical community faces troubles unheard of during the last decades and we all need to be prepared."

The class was completely quiet now. Rodolphus didn't doubt that everyone else in this room considered themselves a possible victim of this new Dark Lord not a potential supporter. He knew that the people he had grown up with felt very differently. Mr Rosier, Evan's father hadn't kept quiet about his beliefs that it was necessary to take action, violent action against the "Muggle-pollution of the magical community". Rodolphus remembered only too well what he had said at one of their meetings. "The world is divided into hunters and prey. It's the law of nature. You'll find it wherever you look. I think you all know what young pure-bloods such as yourselves are supposed to be."

They had all agreed back then, who wanted to be prey? By now, Rodolphus knew that it wasn't a question of your wishes. Due to his Sorting and his lacking magical abilities, Rodolphus had drifted into the prey-position without ever meaning to. Maybe Professor Peasegood could teach him something that helped him against it but there was little chance of that as long as he didn't improve his magic skills.

"First, you'll have to learn some of the theory though. It's necessary for you to properly and safely use these spells. In addition to this, we will also discuss how you recognise dark creatures and how you recognise people under the influence of dark magic. I will also attempt to help you recognise false promises for what they are even though this is a difficult endeavour because those who speak with a forked tongue come up with many convincing ideas."

Rodolphus wondered if he referred to all the Slytherins. What had he been telling them during their first lesson? If things were still normal, he could have talked to Evan but in the current situation, it was impossible. Unlike most of his fellows, Evan didn't pick on him actively but he would risk his position in Slytherin right away if he talked to Rodolphus. Avery of course wanted revenge for the points he had lost and the dark curse from Rodolphus. With the help of Mulciber and Malfoy, he had managed to stir up many Slytherins from all years against Rodolphus. Sometimes, they attacked him, but only in ways that wouldn't cause enough damage to force him to seek help from a teacher or the Hospital Wing. They knew he wouldn't ask for help because of a few bruises only. Most of the time, their attacks were only verbal though. They sprouted various theories as to why Rodolphus was such a failure involving supposed adultery of his mother, possibly contagious "brain fleas", Rodolphus secretly taking illegal potions and many others. Many Slytherins acted as if they might get contaminated if they got near him, pushing him from one to the other and laughing at the one who had gotten in contact with him was a popular source of amusement for them as well.

Rodolphus forced himself to listen to Professor Peasegood who began explaining his theoretical background of defensive magic. Thinking about those people and their comments wasn't much use anyway. Defence-Against-the-Dark-Arts seemed to be interesting and Peasegood a good teacher at least, one of the few things on the positive list.

His mother at least didn't seem to want to disown him but she didn't hide the fact that she was rather disappointed. She had still hoped that her son would end up in Ravenclaw like herself. To his surprise, she had joined the number of people who didn't want to see him in Slytherin though.

Rodolphus was relieved when Friday finally arrived even though he knew it was only the first week of seven years. How he was supposed to endure those, he didn't know. One of the few good things was the fact that the Hufflepuffs left him alone. Therefore he spent most of his free time in the house rooms and hated every teacher who assigned them homework requiring books from the library. Using the Hogwarts library had been one of the things he had been looking forward to the most but unlike on his way to class, he didn't have automatically company when going there and he didn't want to ask for escort every time he needed a book. This felt completely stupid.

Outside of Hufflepuff, Alice Fawley and Lily Evans were the only people who stood up for him. Unfortunately, this didn't help matters much, especially with Lily and the Slytherins. The fact that Rodolphus accepted help from a Mudblood was a source of renewed taunts. Rodolphus still didn't want to reject Lily's help though. The number of allies he had was small enough; he couldn't afford to be so picky if he wanted to survive Hogwarts. Hadn't she mentioned the huge differences between herself and her sister? He was quite sure that his first impression had been correct. Some Weasley or Prewett had probably taken the Muggle-loving tendencies his family was known for to a new level without anyone knowing.

Potter and Black weren't happy about the girl's behaviour either. Lily once found herself with a sign saying "I have a thing for losers" on the back of her robes. This wasn't only due to Rodolphus but more because of her friendship with Severus Snape. They didn't seem bothered by this because they were well-liked by other people in their house though.

The last lesson on Friday was Potions, a subject Rodolphus had been looking forward to because he already had some experience from home. He mentioned this at some point in the Hufflepuff common room and Dorcas Meadowes asked if they could work together. She was rather insecure about Potions.

Rodolphus agreed of course and the two of them made their way to the dungeons. The Slytherins fortunately had Potions with the Ravenclaws who tended to ignore Rodolphus but on the way to the dungeon, they met the Slytherins and Gryffindors. Severus Snape sported bright red hair. Rodolphus wouldn't have needed the laughter coming from Potter, Black and their attachment to tell who was behind this.

Avery on the other hand focused his attention at Rodolphus and Dorcas: "You're Lestrange's girlfriend now? Be careful, you know he has brain fleas."

Dorcas tapped her forehead. "Ignore them," she whispered. "They're not worth it."

Rodolphus had intended to do that anyway. Maybe they would get bored of this rubbish eventually.

Professor Slughorn was a rather corpulent man who seemed to be quite friendly and enthusiastic when greeting the students. Rodolphus noticed right away that Edgar Bones as well as Fabian Prewett and a girl with long, curly black hair called Amira Shafiq attracted most of his attention. Unlike his father Rodolphus went unnoticed, a fact that didn't surprise him much.

The first-years were supposed to brew a rather simple potion meant to cure boils. Dorcas obviously hadn't brewed a potion before and Rodolphus first explained to her how to cut the ingredients properly. "Making potions is like cooking but not quite. You need to be really thorough because the ingredients already contain the magic and dealing with them properly is essential for the potion to work as it is supposed to be. The size of the pieces matters as well of course."

Rodolphus was quite pleased by the fact that Dorcas listened to him very attentively. It wasn't something he had experienced before. She tried her best to follow his advice and he did his best to properly heat, stir and mix the ingredients.

When the potion was on the fire, everything looked the way it was supposed to be. Professor Slughorn used the free time to ask a few questions about potion making. Rodolphus raised his hand when he asked about a remedy for many common poisons.

"Yes, Mr Lestrade," Slughorn said looking at him.

Rodolphus was quite aware of the fact that Slughorn knew his proper name perfectly well. He still didn't understand why a few students he was rather sure were Muggle-borns found this quite so hilarious though. He looked at them angrily but they didn't even seem to notice.

"A Bezoar, a stone found in the stomach of a goat," he said trying to keep his voice impassionate. There was no need for Slughorn to know that his behaviour had affected him. At least, he had to acknowledge that Rodolphus' answer was correct.

A knock at the door interrupted the lesson. The person standing in the doorway wore the blood red robes of an Auror.

"Good afternoon. Excuse me for disrupting your lesson," the short-haired, blond woman said. "Is Miss Amira Shafiq in this class?"

"Yes, is something wrong with the Shafiq family?" Slughon asked.

"We'd prefer not to discuss this in front of the entire class," the Auror said. "Come with me."

Her legs shaking slightly, Amira Shafiq got up and left with the Auror. The students were whispering to each other.

"It's probably been You-Know-Who again," Dorcas suggested.

"You-Know-Who?" Rodolphus had never heard of such an acronym before.

"The dark wizard who has been attacking people with his supporters," she explained.

Rodolphus remembered the reports and the discussions with the Slytherins. He was known for hunting Muggle-borns and Blood Traitors and one of the Shafiqs had married a Muggle-born witch. They had probably been attacked.

For the rest of the lesson, the atmosphere in the class was very subdued. The Lestranges had some family ties to the Shafiqs as well. It was a few generations back but still.

At the end of the lesson, Slughorn checked everyone's potions. "Excellent, this one looks perfect," he said with a smile as he reached the cauldron Dorcas and Rodolphus had used.

"You're Miss Meadowes aren't you? I've heard of your mother's excellent work in the Department for Magical Transportation."

Rodolphus swallowed hard to keep quiet. Why did Slughorn act as if it was her work alone? As if he didn't exist at all?

"Thank you, Sir. Rodolphus has done most of the work with the potion though."

Dorcas was too decent to accept praise she hadn't earned by herself of course but it didn't make Slughorn's behaviour hurt any less. Was there nothing he could do to get some recognition?

"Always modest," Slughorn said. "You know, I'm having a little party in my office next week, I'd like to see you there, Miss Meadowes."

"I'll think about it," Dorcas said rather coolly.

During the weekend, the events in the Shafiq family became widely known. Said Shafiq, Amira's cousin who had married a Muggle-born had been murdered as well as his pregnant wife. Above their house, someone had conjured a giant green neon sign showing a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth, at the wall of the house the words: "This is only the beginning. Death to those who commit blood shame and their brood," had been written.

The Hufflepuffs were shocked at the vileness of this action and Rodolphus was quite disgusted when he overheard Avery, Mulciber and some of the older Slytherins talking rather gleefully about the events.

The news made him think of his own situation as well. Did being on friendly terms with Muggle-born Lily not only threaten his non-existing esteem in Slytherin but even his life? He wondered if she had heard about this, probably. How could they lure the Muggle-borns into the magical world, completely unaware of the dangers?

The next weeks in Hogwarts weren't much different from the first. Rodolphus' best subjects were Potions and Herbology as well as Astronomy and History of Magic. Charms and Transfiguration went equally badly. Professor Flitwick tried to be encouraging and optimistic while Professor McGonagall became more and more impatient with Rodolphus' lack of success. The behaviour from the other students didn't improve at all.

When flying lessons started, everything took another turn for the worse. Rodolphus' only attempt to ride a broomstick so far had ended in a broken arm and Rodolphus had stayed away from brooms ever since.

The only good thing about the lesson was the fact that they shared it with the Ravenclaws and not with Slytherins and Gryffindors. Despite of this, Potter and Black were lurking about watching the lesson. The teacher Madam Hooch didn't seem to mind that.

Unsurprisingly, the broom didn't want to obey Rodolphus' orders and he was one of the last people able to call it up to his hands. His flying attempts were extremely shaky and he avoided greater heights. He was very relieved when he made it back to the ground without an accident. A rather plump Ravenclaw called Bertram Aubrey wasn't as lucky. He lost control of his broom, fell down and broke his glasses as well as his wrist.

The next day, moving pictures entitled "Lestrange flying" turned up all over the school. Obviously, Potter and Black had taken the photographs without anyone noticing. In an unusual alliance, the Slytherins exploited this opportunity to make fun of Rodolphus as well and he was faced with people mimicking his shaky flying style at every corner.

Rodolphus felt like simply running away but he knew this wasn't an option. He needed his magical education, otherwise he wouldn't even be allowed to own a wand, not that it did him much good. The only option was another school. Some members of his family had attended Durmstrang but knowing what he did about himself and the schools, he decided that Beauxbatons would be more suitable for his needs. He spoke French rather well and even had distant relations there.

Thus he decided to write a letter to his mother, asking if he could transfer to Beauxbatons. He didn't tell her the details of course, only the fact that the Slytherins couldn't accept his Sorting and that the teachers were neglecting him as a Hufflepuff. This was only true in Slughorn's case, well sort of, but it might be more convincing than his troubles with his fellow students.

The owl flew away into the autumn air and Rodolphus hoped for the best.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for your comments and my apologies for taking so long with this chapter. Had to write exams and the like and didn't really find the time.

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**Chapter 6**

**Misunderstood**

Dear Rodolphus

I have received your letter asking me to allow you to transfer to Beauxbatons Academy. Unfortunately, this school primarily admits students from France and neighbouring countries without a magical school of their own. We would have needed to register you years ago and the chances of admittance would still have been slim. It has crossed my mind but for reasons I do not need to repeat, I didn't want to take such steps before we knew you were accepted at Hogwarts.

I've sent a letter to Headmaster Dufrêne but according to my expectations, he didn't consider the reasons cited in your letter sufficient to allow you to come to Beauxbatons under hardship provision.

You will have to remain at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and I hope you're going to do your best despite of the unpleasant consequences caused by your Sorting.

Your mother

Renata Lestrange

Rodolphus put the letter into his pocket and left the breakfast table without looking back. His pessimistic and realistic side had feared this outcome from the beginning but part of him had still hoped his mother might make it work. Beauxbatons had been his last and only hope of escape. Life at Hogwarts hadn't become any more pleasant during the last two weeks. Enduring seven years of this seemed unimaginable.

Rodolphus stumbled into an empty toilet cabin and locked the door behind him. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. It would only have given them more material to use against him, not that they needed it.

A pure-blood boy wasn't supposed to cry, no matter what happened but he simply couldn't help it. Rodolphus still had the presence of mind to constantly pull the flush so no one would hear. Not that it would have made much of a difference but still.

Everything seemed completely hopeless.

Half an hour later, he still didn't feel up to meeting other people but Herbology would start in twenty minutes and he didn't want to be late to the only subject which he liked, was good at and where he got along with the teacher. He went to the sinks, washed his face and chose a small corridor he knew led to the Entrance Hall but wasn't used overly much. The air felt like a syrupy liquid which made walking and breathing difficult. He rested twice because his leg barely carried him down the corridor. Even the people on the portraits seemed to make mocking comments. He didn't linger to find out if he was right, most likely, he was.

There were graceful footsteps somewhere behind the wall and a slim figure slipped through a tapestry showing some ancient battle. Bellatrix Black.

Rodolphus cursed his luck as he waited for the rest of the Slytherin gang to appear. He couldn't hear anyone else though. Bellatrix walked towards him on her own.

"Morning, Lestrange."

"Good morning," Rodolphus said tentatively. He wondered if she like her cousin and his companions thought that making fun of others was boring if you had no onlookers. Maybe she'd simply walk past.

"I've been looking for you."

Walking past seemingly wasn't her intention.

Rodolphus tried to think of a clever or annoyed remark to make but none of the ones coming to his mind seemed very good. Therefore he remained quiet.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Doing what?" This question obviously asked for an answer but he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Why do you think you have to act like the typical Hufflepuff, simply because the Sorting Hat said so? On the first day, you've still tried to fight back but by now? Do you really think you have to act like the typical Hufflepuff loser because your robes say you're part of this house?"

Rodolphus almost felt like retaliating rather sharply. The Slytherins' judgement had been set as soon as the hat had sorted him into Hufflepuff. It wasn't as if they had given him any chance to prove them wrong. What were you supposed to do if you were alone against an entire house? He doubted Avery would have lasted long in this situation. Telling Bellatrix so would only sound whiny though.

"You have plenty of talent for the Dark Arts."

"I know you all think this is very funny but I have no time. Herbology's starting soon and I need to get to the green houses."

"Oh, forget about Herbology. I mean it. You have plenty of talent for the Dark Arts or how many other people, who are able to use the Cruciatus curse without a wand at age eleven, do you know?"

This proved his suspicion that she had guessed the truth back on their first day. Had she simply remained silent so she could blackmail him now?

"I only know you, my sister Andy, myself and our mother did it too, and _he_ did it of course."

As far as Rodolphus was concerned, this made for a relatively long list of people. Still, Bellatrix had put him on a list including herself and her family. Was she really trying to comfort him in her rather strange way? He had been led on by other students too often to be overly trusting but maybe, just maybe...

"You don't have to crawl through Hogwarts with these narrow-minded fools. You don't have to seek the company of Mudbloods."

For the first time, Rodolphus flinched slightly at the slur directed against Lily. He considered telling her he couldn't believe that she truly didn't have any magical blood but thought better of it.

"If they knew what you're truly capable of, they'd be terrified. If _you _knew what you are truly capable of, you'd put them in their place quickly enough."

"Thank you," Rodolphus said not quite sure what he was supposed to make of this. The idea of Bellatrix trying to comfort him or anyone for that matter was quite strange. The idea of her actually approving of him gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling but his doubts lingered. He was no fool and life had already told him: If something was too good to be true, it usually wasn't.

"We're only ever talking about Slytherins but the world doesn't run on cunning and ambition alone," Bellatrix said. "Loyalty is very important as well. The Dark Lord knows that. He doesn't only need cunning and ambitious people who are scheming against each other and maybe even against him."

Rodolphus wondered who she was talking about when she spoke about a "Dark Lord". The one who had killed Said Shafiq and his wife?

"The Dark Lord also needs loyal servants."

"Bellatrix, I might have been sorted into Hufflepuff but that doesn't mean I intend to spend my life as anyone's servant."

The words came out before Rodolphus had any chance to think them through and wonder if they were appropriate.

The remark that crushed all of his hopes had stung too much. Of course she didn't truly respect him. She had come to tell him that he, the Hufflepuff, could still be the others' servant and maybe she even believed she was being generous when suggesting this.

Rodolphus had had enough. Without another word, he pushed past her. There were still five minutes until Herbology started.

"So you're beyond help," Bellatrix called out.

Rodolphus ignored her and walked on. She shouted something he couldn't understand and a split second later, everything was full of red light and something hot hit him from behind. The world turned black.

"Enervate, enervate!"

Rodolphus looked around. His head was pounding and he felt something warm at the back of it. Through clouded eyes, he spotted two boys, red and gold Gryffindor crests on their robes.

Don't let it be Potter and Black, he thought desperately.

"I think it worked."

"I told you it's _en_er_va_te."

"Yes, you're right. Glad it's worked now."

When his vision grew better, he realised that it truly wasn't Potter and Black. The two Gryffindor boys were older and Rodolphus recognised someone he didn't feel like meeting under such circumstances either, Longbottom.

"Do you think you can sit?" the second boy asked.

Rodolphus tried and with the support of the wall, it worked.

"We're lucky Peasegood's finally teaching us something useful in Defence Against the Dark Arts," Longbottom said. "Our earlier teachers never did. What happened? Do you know who did this?"

For a moment, Rodolphus considered telling the truth. The fact that Bellatrix had been talking about this "Dark Lord" and he had rejected the "offer" to have anything to do with him might have impressed them but even now, he didn't want to get her into trouble. She hadn't told McGonagall about the curse either after all.

"Someone's attacked me from behind," Rodolphus said. This wasn't a lie.

"A Slytherin probably," Longbottom suspected correctly. "Well, anyway. How are you?"

"I'm fine," Rodolphus said. This wasn't entirely true but he didn't want to whine. Gryffindors didn't care much for this.

"I'm Frank Longbottom by the way and that's Caradoc Dearborn."

"Pleased to meet you," Rodolphus said even though the situation was anything but pleasant. "My name's Rodolphus Lestrange."

"Yes, I know. I've seen you at the Sorting. The Hufflepuff Lestrange, no one saw that one coming," Longbottom said.

"Probably. I saw you at King's Cross by the way. With your uncle." Rodolphus remembered Algie Longbottom's nasty remarks very well.

Longbottom grimaced. "Well, whatever you've heard him say, ignore it."

"I'm doing my best." Ignoring nasty remarks had become one of Rodolphus' chief occupations.

"Do you think you can make it to the Hospital Wing? If you can't, one of us will get a teacher," Longbottom said. "We didn't learn to conjure stretchers yet."

"I'll try."

The Hospital Wing was relatively far away but with the help of the two Gryffindors, Rodolphus made it. He entered a large room full of beds covered in white linen which could be hidden behind curtains. There were glass cabinets containing a variety of multi-coloured potions some of which seemed to have a life of their own with bubbles rising to the surface and changing colours. Rodolphus would have loved to find out what they did and how you made them but he knew this wasn't the right time.

The young matron, a woman called Madam Pomfrey shook her head when she saw them. "Why do you boys have to fight all the time? There's enough illness and injury without this kind of thing."

"Some Slytherin attacked him from behind," Longbottom said. "They seem to be quite upset because they've lost him for their house."

Rodolphus seriously doubted that this was the Slytherins' motivation.

"And he doesn't know who it was? Typical." Madam Pomfrey began examining Rodolphus' head. "This was a stunner but overly strong and from someone whose magic isn't very stable yet. Probably a younger student. Why do parents have to teach their children advanced magic when they aren't old enough to handle it yet? That can only end badly." She shook her head.

There was a clock on the wall. "Oh no, I should be in Herbology," Rodolphus said.

"And we should be in Transfiguration," Dearborn said. "Do you still need us, Madam Pomfrey?"

"No, you may leave. Here's a note for Professor McGonagall if she doesn't believe your story. Not that you're the sort to lie to a teacher but better be on the safe side."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Longbottom said. "We really should run now."

Rodolphus thanked them for helping him. If it hadn't been for them, he might have been lying in this corridor all day. It wasn't frequented by other students very highly.

"No problem. I hope you'll get better soon."

With these words, the two Gryffindor boys left.

"You should stay here for supervision," Madam Pomfrey said while she put a bandage containing some very cold potion around Rodolphus' head. "Your head has been hit rather badly and we don't know what kind of magic your attacker exactly used. So no lessons for you today. I'll send a memo to Professor Sprout."

Rodolphus didn't really mind not having to face his classmates and fail in Transfiguration once again.

He thanked her and quietly remained in his bed for the rest of the morning. Rodolphus was the only patient and Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to have too much work beyond cleaning the potions cabinet which she didn't want to leave to the House Elves for some reason. Rodolphus took the opportunity to ask about the potions and listened eagerly to the Matron's explanations.

After lunch, he was alone and flinched at every sound because he expected someone to turn up to harass him. It wasn't happening though. Obviously, they had better things to do or respected the Hospital Wing enough to leave him alone here.

He opened his Transfiguration book. Maybe figuring out the theory behind it would eventually allow him to be successful in this subject. So far, he had never managed to transfigure anything. If he used anything resembling magic it only blasted the object to pieces or set it alight. Charms wasn't much better. His wand didn't seem to want to bend to his will at all. Maybe a matching one would have been better after all like Ollivander had said but he obviously didn't have one on offer so these musings were futile. Good wizards could handle any wand and he'd have to get used to his.

After lessons had finished, there were footsteps which ended in front of the Hospital Wing door. Rodolphus braced himself for an unwelcome encounter but was pleasantly surprised. Edgar Bones and Dorcas Meadowes had come to visit. He hadn't expected this. They didn't have to bother after all.

"Professor Sprout's been quite angry," Edgar said after the usual Hospital Wing pleasantries had been exchanged.

"I'm sorry but Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping me here."

"Not at you," Edgar said.

He seemed quite astounded by Rodolphus' worry. "It's not your fault some idiot Slytherin attacks you on the corridor. She was angry at the Slytherins' behaviour. She wants to talk to Professor Slughorn."

"He doesn't give a damn."

Rodolphus was surprised at himself. He normally didn't resort to this kind of vocabulary but the thought of Slughorn's behaviour made him forget his manners. The teacher still couldn't bring himself to do more than nod or tell him the potion was alright while fawning over other people if they brewed their potions well.

"You're probably right," Edgar said. "But maybe it will do some good if one of his colleagues talks to him. Don't know if you're happy about this but we've brought the homework and you can copy our texts from class."

"Thank you. Of course I want to keep up," Rodolphus said. "I'm doing badly enough as it is."

"Well, you're great at Potions," Dorcas said. "Most people don't get this at all. By the way, I won't go to Slughorn's stupid party. He can stuff his "collecting" where the sun doesn't shine."

Rodolphus smiled slightly. Obviously, he wasn't the only one inspired to angry reactions by Slughorn. Maybe the teacher simply didn't appeal to Hufflepuffs very much.

The Hospital Wing door opened once more. This time, Rodolphus wasn't so worried because he wasn't alone. Potter and Black at least had refrained from picking on him if the other Hufflepuffs were around since Edgar had told them what he thought about this behaviour.

There was no reason to worry anyway because the visitors were Lily, Alice and Remus.

"We've heard you're in the Hospital Wing because the Slytherins attacked you in Herbology," Alice said. "Stupid cowards."

"I missed you in class. Professor Sprout had me work with Pettigrew and he dropped the plants twice," Remus said. "She wasn't amused."

Rodolphus could picture that very well. Professor Sprout cared about her plants and didn't approve of careless behaviour. Being thrown together with someone incompetent surely wasn't fun. He was glad that Remus preferred working with him. Not that Pettigrew was the most impressive competition but still.

"And you really don't know who did it?" Lily asked.

It was the first time Rodolphus was truly glad she had come to visit and didn't feel secretly ashamed because people might see him with a Muggle-born. He didn't like her question though. Lying wasn't his thing but he didn't want to get Bellatrix into trouble either.

"I was attacked from behind," he repeated.

"We really have to do something about this," Edgar said. "You can't take it forever. So far, they've only used verbal insults but this is going way too far."

"I don't think telling the teachers would do much good," Rodolphus said.

"I wasn't talking about the teachers," Edgar said. "We need to do this ourselves. The Slytherin have to learn that Hufflepuffs aren't helpless and that we can defend our own. Mulciber and Avery are the ones mostly behind it, aren't they?"

"Yes," Rodolphus said. "I think so."

"We'll think of something," Edgar promised.

Rodolphus didn't know what to think about that. Part of him was happy because there were people who wanted to help him, another part didn't want more trouble and alienating the Slytherins even further.

Lily furrowed her brows. "There was something I'd like to ask about History of Magic, maybe someone here knows."

They discussed History of Magic or rather the absence of interesting information in this class next and Rodolphus was relieved that he wasn't the subject of discussion anymore. The others actually thought his mother's theory about the reason why Professor Binns was there made some sense: The Ministry probably didn't want to teach them about troubles between humans because they didn't want to create bad feelings.

They all agreed that this wasn't a good reason, there were enough bad feelings as it was but that didn't mean the Ministry wouldn't view it that way.

The students from magical families all told Lily a few historical stories they knew of and when they had finished, it was almost time for dinner.

Edgar, Dorcas, Alice and Remus left but Lily stayed behind.

When the others had all left, she said: "You don't really want to do much against the Slytherins because they used to be your friends and you don't want to betray them, don't you?"

Rodolphus hesitated. She was right but he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her so. Lily wasn't stupid, she certainly knew by now how Bellatrix, Evan and the others felt about her kind.

"Severus keeps telling me that my sister Petunia's behaviour doesn't matter because she's only a Muggle and doesn't understand anything. We've been arguing about it quite a few times because I don't want to listen to people talk badly about my sister, no matter how she's treating me."

After some hesitation, Rodolphus admitted: "Yes, it's probably similar in a way. We aren't actual siblings of course but magical families are quite closely related."

He was slightly alarmed by himself when he noted that he had avoided the word "pure-blood" on purpose because it automatically implied that others were impure and would insult her. He didn't want to know what Bellatrix would think about that.

"We've spent quite some time together as children and it has always been clear that they're the people I'm going to be around, even marry one of. This has changed completely now and I don't really know what to make of it."

He didn't like the idea that being a Lestrange in Hufflepuff had something in common with being a Muggle-born at Hogwarts but there seemed to be some truth to it.

"Yes, I can understand that. You've done nothing to deserve their behaviour though and you don't have to take that crap. I don't know much about this house system but I understand that every house has had talented and powerful people in it. There's no reason for them to act that way, just their narrow-mindedness. I don't think Edgar and Dorcas will do something overly nasty. They're not the sort of people for this. Trust them. It's quite possible that the Slytherins will actually respect you more if they notice that you're not alone and that you're standing up for yourselves. As long as you take everything, you prove them right if they think Hufflepuffs are too meek."

"Maybe," Rodolphus said. One thing he knew for sure, the Slytherins' behaviour wouldn't change on its own and he couldn't let things continue the way they had. "Thank you for trying to help me. I'll think about it."

A long night at the Hospital Wing would give him more than enough time to think.


End file.
